Make sure that you form a list of qualities you’re searching for before you begin the quest for apartment furniture whether in a store, warehouse, or flea market. Having a list of values may make your search a little longer and deliberate, but when you come home with a solid piece of furniture to add to your apartment, all your hard work will pay off.
Here are six things to look for in apartment furniture.
1. Functionality
The most important thing you should ask yourself when buying furniture is: does it serve its function well? This means that if you’re buying a chair to lounge in, is it comfortable? Could you see yourself lounging in it for hours? If you’re buying a table, will it fit all your normal friends around it? Does it wobble or stand well? Regardless of unique design or attractiveness, you need furniture that does its job and does it well.
2. Durability
Besides functionality, you need some furniture that will also stand the test of time. While you may be in and out of different places and complexes, it is likely that the furniture you buy now will stay with you for some time. Buying furniture of any kind is always an investment. Unless you love fixing things, be sure to keep to standard and reliable types of furniture that won’t require a whole lot of work (or, just rent your furniture!). Unless you’re planning to live in an apartment long term, don’t splurge and buy some really ornate items that will become difficult to move and maintain in the future.
3. Color scheme
When buying furniture, you likely won’t be getting it all from one place in a complete set. Don’t freak out if it doesn’t all match perfectly, especially if you’re on a budget. However, if you are looking for an element of cohesion in your furniture, try to look for a similar color scheme. Go for all blacks, dark browns, or light browns, but don’t try to mix all different ones unless you’re going for a mismatched look. If you want to get super fancy, look at the color of the wood on your cabinets and door frames and try to match your new furniture to it. At the very least, at least get a table and chairs matching set.
4. Size
One of the primary concerns in apartment furniture is size. You’re going to be in a much smaller space than any home so when debating whether to buy that extended couch set, remember that it might not fit in a tiny living room. It is much better to have a few, medium-sized pieces than some overly large ones that will crowd out all the space you have. Unless you’re extremely social, you probably won’t need as much seating as you think you do, so it’s okay to downsize and just keep some folding chairs in the closet just in case.
5. Practicality
While some fancy woods, fabrics, and designs are tempting to splurge your money on, think of the practical use of your furniture. Especially in lighter colors, furniture can become stained and damaged very easily and make it look old quickly. When looking for nice, long lasting furniture for your apartment and future apartments, look for something practical. Go for classic, solid designs that are easy to clean and take care of though they might not look as flashy. They’re sure to serve you well.
6. Price
Finding the right price when buying apartment furniture can be tricky. Like all the other things listed above, you don’t want to give up many necessities when it comes to furniture, but you don’t want to break the bank. Ultimately, try and set a reasonable price range before looking around for furniture. Once you’ve found some decent ones in your budget, take another look at them for the above qualities and delete the ones that don’t fit it. Also, look around you. If any of your friends or family are moving recently, they may be looking to get rid of some perfectly good furniture and you won’t have to pay a dime.
Although finding the right furniture for your apartment may seem a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack, it can be done. By making a checklist of priorities and values to look for in your furniture, searching, narrowing down, and eventually buying some will become far less of a hassle. Remember: making an investment is worth it if the quality matches.
Resource: http://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/200987/6-Things-To-Look-For-In-Apartment-Furniture
